Rifle of School Shooting Widely Sold in Stores

Rifle of School Shooting Widely Sold in Stores

In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, some members of Congress are calling for tighter gun laws.

MARTINSBURG, WV - In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, some members of Congress are calling for tighter gun laws.

That could also mean a possible ban on a certain types of "assault" rifles.

They're popular and widely sold, including at Shep's Sporting Goods in Martinsburg.

It was a Bushmaster .223 the shooter used to kill 26 people at a school in Newtown, Connecticut. The same type of gun was also used in the 2003 Beltway sniper shootings.

The guns are commonly called "assault rifles" because they're modeled after military weapons.

"It's a lookalike, its only semi-automatic, there are different makes and models," says owner Brad Sheppard.

Now with many calling for tighter gun laws, these AR-15 style rifles could be banned. They have been before, but it's a move that some are calling "cosmetic" and ineffective.

"I don't think that taking away or limiting, restricting second amendment rights is a solution to this," says Delegate John Overington.

Applying for a gun means answering whether you've ever been judged "mentally defective," but states don't have many ways to verify.

That's why some say better mental health screenings are needed, and not just for gun buyers. Police say the Newtown suspect was carrying stolen guns.

"To go through a mental health test may be something good for the American people," says Sheppard. "That way it would start a history of someone to keep track of them if they do have some type of a problem."

Gun rights advocates say even if a gun is banned, doesn't mean it's not available.